Ore classifier



E P. MAYHEW. ORE CLASSIFIER. APPucATloN FILED FEB. 24

Patnted Oct. 3, 1922.

EC; f 1

EMRSL LAYHEW, 0.15' EMBERLY, NEVADA.

@IRE CLASSFER.

application tiled 'February 24, 1920.

To alt whom t may cof/teem.

Be it known that l, EARL P. lifavrrnw, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kimberly, in the county of ivd/'hits -Bine and State of Nevada, have invented certain new ano useful niprovernents in @re Classifiers,

.of 'which the foliowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drav lngs. y

vThis invention relates to concentrators or classifiers, and particularly to that forni of concentrator or classifier in which the ore pulp or crushed ore is delivered to a washing tank and submitted to such agitation that the relatively heavy ore falls to the bottoni of the tank, from which it may be withdrawn, and the relatively light rnate-` rials, such as ganeue, sand, etc., are carried off to the next adjacent tank for further washing.

The general object of invention is to provide a very siinple mechanism of this character in which the agitation of the ore is secured by the action of jets `of water ejected with considerable force into a tank full of water andere.

At further object is to provide a rnechan nisin ofthis kind embodying a seriesof tanks, the tanks being connected so that the water will How from one tank to another in series, a water pipe, preferably of flexible material, entering each of said tanks and connected to a plurality of sprayers disposed within the tank and so designed as to discharge water in sprays in all `directions to thus thoroughly agitate the contents of the tank and wash away the light material, leaving` the heavy niaterial'in the tank. i

further object in this connection is to provide a construction of this character in which the pipe supporting the series of sprayers for each tank is flexible so that they may be readily removed. so that the sprayers be shited to different positions in the tankto thoroughly wash the inaterial therein and so that different forms of sprayers may be attached to the sprayer carrying pipe. 1

A further object is to provide sprayers so formed that every portion of the water in serial no. 361,055.

the tank is agitated by sprays of water ejected from the sprayers and so that these sprayers may he disposed very near the hottorn of the tank and will discharge downward thereagainst, as well as discharging laterally and upwardly.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

Ny invention is illustrated in the aecompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a sectional view of a series of classifying tanks constructed in accordance with rny invention; y

Figure 2 is a top plan view of one of the sprayer heads 5 Figure 3 is a section on the line 8-3 of Figure 2;

Referring to these drawings, va nd' 11 designate two washing tanks or classifying tanks of series. There may be any number of these tanks in a series and, therefore, 1 do not wish to be limited to the use of inerely two tanks. Each pair of tanks is connected by a trough 12, and leading from each tank is a discharge pipe 13 having therein a regulating valve 14 and leading into a chute, trough, pipe line or other conduit 15 whereby concentrates or classified ore may be drawn off.

4 intending above the tanks is a main feed water line 1G, and extending downward from 'the rnain 'feed water line 16 are a plurality of short pipe sections A17 and a pipe section 18 which rnay be flexibly connected to the pipe section 17 or be made of iienible material or otherwise be formed so that it may be nioved `about with referen e to tank 1 and with reference to the pipe section 17 without detaching it from its engagement \with the pipe section `17 The pipe section 1T is provided with a controllingvalve 1 9. To the lower end of the pipesection 1 8 is connected a pipe section 2O having branches leading therefrord these branches discharging into sprayer heads 21. Each of these sprayer heads is shown'a's appronnnately annularin form andprovided with perforations 22, seine of these perforations discharging downwardly, others laterally, and others upwardlyi l. have illustrated three sets of these sprayer heads disposed at various levels so that the contents of the tank will be thoroughly agitated by the sprays of water projected therethrough.

1t is to be noted tlhat the water in the main line 16 is under pressure so that the sprays will be discharged with great 'torce from the nozzles in the sprayer heads. l do not wish to be limited to any particular form of sprayer head, nor to the particular form ci the nozzles. Cer-aiu ofthe sprayer heads are disposed very close to the bottom of the tank so as to cause a spray to be discharged downward toward the bottom oit the tank as well as sidewise and upwards. lt is absolutely necessary for the proper classifying and concentrating of material that there be a downward spray as well as a sidewise spray, as the downward jets of water will agitate the material in the bottom of the tank and will cause the valueless material, waste particles, gangue and other like material that has escaped the upward spray to be sepa-rated from the heavier particles and to rise throughjtihe tank and be. discharged `over the top of the tank and thus notmiX with the classified material in the bottom of the tank. If it were not for these downward sprays striking againstthe material in the bottom of the tank, the material that once reachedthe bottom of the tank would lie dormant, while with my construction a continual agitation of the ores or materials in the bottom of the tank occurs so long as the ore is allowed to remainV in the tank. 1f

,mercury is used in the bottom. of the tank,

Vbeing more active when stirred about and clean, the agitation of the water in the bottom of the tank caused by the downward sprays keeping the mercury clean, and it is to be particularly Ynoted that the pipes 18 -lead into the open `topwof the tank, thus permitting these pipes 18 to be readily removed by simply raising them out of the tank, it

being necessary at times to remove the spray pipes orheads in orderto stir up the material that has been deposited `in the bottoni where the same has become packed. This,

"however, -would rarely, if ever, occur with inv classiiier and concentrator by reason of the continual downward andlateral sprays.

By mountingthespray heads on a pipe section 18 which'is flexibly connected to the pipe section 19, the `,spray .heads may be moved around in the tank-to any desired position, or thespraying section 20 maybe AAremoved entirely'froni the pipe 18 and nozzle placed on the pipe 18 and this used magnate the'matefralior t0 ferce and Wash classified material into the overflow or recharge pipe or trough 12. Furthermore, his construction permits the quick removal t the perforated pipes, and heads with diferent forms of' nozzles or different sizes of periorations may be placed thereon quickly as the nature of the material placed in the tank may require these changes. Thus, inaterials of' a slimy or sticky nature require considerably more water and water pressure to proYijierly-handle and classify them than ores or materials oi a different class. Uf course, it is to be understood that the ores are to be crushedto different mesh according to the grade and nature thereof, and this crushing is accomplished before the ores vare placed in the first tank. The water pressure will also be adjusted according to the character of the ore, and this water pressure may be controlled by the valve 17. In the case of gold bearing ores or gravel, mercury may be used in the bottom oi*V each s (up tank to assist in the gatheringof the free gold therein.

ll/.vhile 1 have illustrated one particular forni of my invention, it is to be understood that the classier may be readily made in other forms Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1. A classifier and concentrator Aof the character describedv including a plurality of .tanksl arranged in series, overflow conduits connecting each'tank to the next tank in the series and disposed in the tops of the tanks,

a common discharge conduit disposed above all of the tanks and having branches extending into the bottom of each tank, each branch bei provided with a valve, a main water pipe extending from the tanks and having branches extending downward and provided with valves, flexible hoseconnected to said branches and extending down into the tanks, a pipe disposedwithin each tank and connected to the fiexible pipe and having radiating branches, vertical pipes connected to the ends of said radiating branches, and sprayer heads mounted upon said vertical pipes, certain of the sprayer heads being disposed adjacent the bottom wall of the tank, said sprayer heads having perforations discharging upward, downward and laterally. y

2. A classilier and concentrator of the character described including a plurality of tanks arranged in series, overflow conduits connecting each tank to the next tank in the series and disposed in the tops of the tanks, a common discharge conduit disposed above all of the tanks and having branches eX- tending into the bottoni of each tank, `each branch being provided with a valve, a main water pipe extending from the tanks and having ,branches extending `downward and provided with valves, a exible hose oonheads mounted upon the vertical pipes at nected to said branches and extending down different levels, said sprayer heads 'having into the tanks, a pipe disposed Within each perforations discharging upward, downl0 tank and connected to the flexible pipe and Ward and laterally.

' having radiating branches, Vertical pipes In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my connected to the ends of said radiating signature. branches, and a plurality of sets of sprayer EARL P. MAYHEW. 

